The Perfect Stranger, Megan Miranda
Why does it seem that in every story about a single woman embroiled in a mystery, especially if there is an element of personal danger, there is a handsome, unattached police officer with whom she hooks up? It’s just so … predictable. But despite that (or because of it?) I always find myself liking it. Maybe this is just my thing. Some people have their vampires and werewolves, some have their creepy manipulative sex adicts and I have my handsome working-the-case detectives. It would actually be a lot more convenient for me if these were actually classified as a type. “Detective Romances” of “Mystery Affairs”. When I have my own used book store it’s going to have this as a section. Right next to the Science Fiction & Fantasy shelves.
Anyway …. this particular version of the Detective Romance had one added bonus in that the author doesn’t spend any time describing the female lead, as most of them do, as “tall” and “blond” and “thin” and “green-eyed”. Certain details come out as a matter of course, forming part of the basis of the mystery, but there are thankfully no lengthy paragraphs extolling her beauty. This makes her much more relatable because she could be anyone. The story itself has quite a few unexpected surprises without resorting to one giant twist, making it hard to “spoil”. I found it an enjoyable summer read and in fact, I finished it on a flight to Ireland for my summer vacation. If mysteries are also your perfect summer read, then this is a good choice. People will wawnt to compare it to Girl On The Train or Gone Girl, but really the only things in common are that there is a mystery to solve and that the lead character is a woman who appears to be involved in some way. I suspect it would also probably make a good movie (which, by the way, is not necessarily the highest compliment for a book…).
Rating: Borrow it.
PS If you are one of my friends waiting to borrow this book, PM me and I’ll get it to you.